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QUALITATIVE STRESS ANALYSIS FOR EMBANKMENT FOUNDATIONS

THE UNCONVENTIONAL BEHAVIOR OF SOFT DEPOSITS DOES NOT LEND ITSELF TO PURELY THEORETICAL STUDIES. THUS A STUDY WAS INITIATED BY THE PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATORS OF THIS RESEARCH PROJECT TO ANALYZE, WITH THE USE OF MODELS, THE BEHAVIOR OF MUCK--THE AIM BEING TO ESTABLISH GUIDELINES FOR PROTOTYPE STUDIES AND A WORKABLE DESIGN METHOD FOR EMBANKMENTS AND LEVEES. DURING THIS STUDY A THOROUGH REVIEW WAS MADE OF THE LITERATURE IN THE FIELDS OF EMBANKMENT DESIGN AND MODEL STUDIES. SEVERAL METHODS AND MATERIALS WERE STUDIED AS POSSIBLE MODELS REPRESENTING MUCK. IT WAS FOUND THAT GELATIN WAS THE MOST SUITABLE REPRESENTATIVE MATERIAL. A TECHNIQUE WAS DEVELOPED FOR THE CONSTRUCTION OF THE MODEL MUCK AND MODEL EMBANKMENTS. ALL DIMENSIONS WERE CHOSEN TO REPRESENT GEOMETRIC AND PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF PROTOTYPE MUCK AND EMBANKMENT. EMBANKMENTS WITH AND WITHOUT BERMS WERE CONSTRUCTED IN DITCH OR GRADE SECTIONS. DURING THE TESTING PROCESS IT WAS DETERMINED THAT THE CONSTRUCTION SEQUENCE OF THE EMBANKMENTS, AS WELL AS THE GEOMETRICS, AFFECTED THE DEVELOPMENT OF STRESSES IN MUCK. /AUTHOR/

Supplemental Notes:

Hpr-1/4/, 65-2S

Corporate Authors:

Louisiana State University and Agriculture & Mechanical College, Baton Rouge